Read the notes, then try the practice. It adapts as you go.When you're ready.
Session Length
~17 min
Adaptive Checks
15 questions
Transfer Probes
8
Information science is the interdisciplinary field concerned with the collection, classification, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information. It examines how people create, organize, find, and use information in all its forms, drawing on principles from computer science, library science, cognitive science, and communication studies. At its core, information science seeks to understand the properties and behavior of information, the forces governing its flow, and the means of processing it for optimal accessibility and usability.
The field has deep historical roots in library science and documentation, but it expanded dramatically with the advent of digital computing and the internet. Pioneers such as Paul Otlet, Vannevar Bush, and Claude Shannon laid the groundwork by envisioning universal knowledge systems, proposing hypertext-like information machines, and formalizing the mathematical theory of communication. Today, information science encompasses topics ranging from database design and search engine algorithms to human-computer interaction, knowledge management, and the ethical implications of data collection and surveillance.
Modern information science plays a critical role in nearly every sector of society. In healthcare, it underpins electronic health records and clinical decision support systems. In business, it drives knowledge management, competitive intelligence, and data analytics. In government and academia, it supports open data initiatives, digital preservation, and scholarly communication. As the volume of digital information continues to grow exponentially, information science provides the theoretical frameworks and practical tools needed to navigate the challenges of information overload, misinformation, digital equity, and the responsible stewardship of data.
One step at a time.
The process of obtaining relevant information resources from a collection based on a user's query. It involves indexing, searching, ranking, and presenting results from structured or unstructured datasets.
Example: When you type a query into Google, the search engine uses information retrieval techniques like inverted indexing, TF-IDF scoring, and PageRank to return the most relevant web pages.
Structured data that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource. Metadata is often called 'data about data.'
Example: A digital photograph contains metadata such as the date taken, camera model, GPS coordinates, resolution, and file size, all of which help organize and find the image later.
The systematic arrangement and classification of information using schemes such as taxonomies, thesauri, ontologies, and classification systems to facilitate discovery and access.
Example: The Dewey Decimal System organizes library books into ten main classes (e.g., 500 for Science, 800 for Literature), each subdivided further to allow precise shelving and retrieval.
The structural design of shared information environments, focusing on organizing, labeling, and navigating content so that users can find what they need efficiently.
Example: A well-designed e-commerce website uses clear category hierarchies, breadcrumb navigation, faceted search filters, and consistent labeling to help shoppers find products quickly.
A mathematical framework developed by Claude Shannon in 1948 that quantifies information in terms of bits, defines channel capacity, and establishes fundamental limits on data compression and reliable communication over noisy channels.
Example: Shannon's theory explains why a lossless compression algorithm like ZIP can reduce file sizes only up to a theoretical limit determined by the entropy (average information content) of the data.
The study of how people seek, encounter, evaluate, and use information in various contexts. It examines information needs, search behaviors, sense-making, and the cognitive processes involved in interacting with information systems.
Example: A researcher studying how patients search for health information online might observe that users often scan only the first few results, struggle to evaluate source credibility, and are influenced by how information is framed.
The active management of data throughout its lifecycle, including creation, quality assurance, documentation, preservation, and making data accessible and reusable for future research.
Example: A university data repository curates research datasets by assigning persistent identifiers (DOIs), ensuring consistent file formats, adding descriptive metadata, and implementing long-term storage strategies.
A predefined, standardized set of terms used for indexing and retrieval in information systems. It reduces ambiguity by ensuring that the same concept is always described using the same term.
Example: The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) system used by PubMed ensures that articles about 'heart attack,' 'myocardial infarction,' and 'cardiac arrest' are all indexed under the correct standardized term for consistent retrieval.
More terms are available in the glossary.
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